AGC’s Tropical-Themed Fundraiser Creates Oasis of Hope
Writer Shannon Severson
Imagine sinking your toes into warm sand, Jimmy Buffett playing in the background, as you admire your newly won designer handbag — all while making a difference in your community. This tropical dream becomes reality at Anthem Giving Circle’s milestone celebration.
“Purses in Paradise” is the theme of Anthem Giving Circle’s 15th annual Purses for a Purpose event on Tuesday, Feb. 4, where 150 handbags will be auctioned or raffled throughout the evening.
Mary Griffin, the club’s spokesperson and event DJ, emphasizes the event’s purely charitable focus.
“One hundred percent of the funds raised go to help people,” she says. “The volunteers are extremely generous and often pay for things out of their own pockets to decorate and really complete the theme of the party. Everyone is really good about pitching in and helping out; that’s what it’s all about.”
The event’s 240 tickets sold out in just 36 hours. However, raffle tickets for the top prize — a quilted leather Yves Saint Laurent “Toy Loulou” worth more than $1,000 — can still be purchased on the nonprofit organization’s website. Winners need not be present to win.
Attendees will don tropical attire and enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres while sipping “boat drinks.” The evening’s signature offering: a limited number of $50 margaritas served with a special key. That key can be taken to Andrew Z’s Jewelers in Anthem, where a treasure box filled with $2,000 in jewelry awaits the lucky person who chooses the winning key. Non-winning keys will still unlock savings at the store.
Co-chair Rhonda Van Dyke says the handbag enthusiasts in the small but mighty 32-member Anthem Giving Circle go out of their way to present an array of bags curated to appeal to serious collectors and those looking for fun, novelty styles. The bags include a whimsical “It’s 5 o’Clock Somewhere” Betsey Johnson bag shaped like a cocktail, complete with drink umbrella, and a Kate Spade Rio Parrot leather crossbody bag that looks like an actual parrot, feathers and all.
Thanks to innovative fundraising ideas and increased community support, Van Dyke has set an ambitious goal of $58,000 to $60,000 for this year’s event, which would surpass last year’s record-breaking $51,000.
“We have more than doubled the number of sponsors from last year,” she says. “It’s important because there is more and more need in the community.”
Griffin emphasizes how quickly circumstances can change for community members.
“We recently helped a woman who had stage 4 cancer and her son had congestive heart problems,” she says. “They were living in their car through extreme heat and cold. Many people sprang into action to get her a trailer and a place to hook up. She greeted us crying. She was so excited to be sleeping in a bed, lying flat with air conditioning. She promised to send photos once she got it all fixed up.
“Anthem looks affluent from the outside, but there are many people who need help. You can’t change the world, but you can still make a difference.”
Beyond direct financial assistance, the Anthem Giving Circle assembles about 200 handbags filled with toiletries and other items for its Mother’s Day program. Volunteers, including Van Dyke, deliver these bags to the Foothills Food Bank & Resource Center for distribution to mothers in need during the week before Mother’s Day. When back-to-school time rolls around, they also distribute more than $10,000 in Walmart gift cards to students in need.
Van Dyke says she’s been amazed at the dedication and effectiveness of her fellow volunteers since joining the group three years ago after retiring.
“They volunteer everywhere in the Anthem area and not just with Anthem Giving Circle,” she notes. “It’s been really inspiring to me. I feel blessed and honored to be a part of it.”
As the group celebrates 15 years of volunteerism and positive impact, their numbers are growing. Successfully, they are able to expand their helping hands to a community with no shortage of need — changing the world one person at a time.
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